Fire-extinguishing apparatus



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

H. F. MAXIM. FIRE EXTINGUI-SHING APPARATUS.

No. 57?,307. Patented Feb. 16. 1897.

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(NoModeL) P. MAXIM; FIRE EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

Patented Feb. 16, 1897.

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UNTTED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

HOSEA F. MAXIM, OF NORFOLK, VIRGINIA.

FIRE-EXTINGUISHING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 577,307, dated February 16, 1897.

Application filed August 15, 1895. Serial No- 559,412. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HosEAF. MAXIM, a citizen of the United States,residing at Norfolk, in the county of Norfolk and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Extinguishing Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in fire-extinguishers, it pertaining more particularly to those of the class which are intended to deliver a fire-smothering gas or mixture of gas and water, the gas being produced from two chemical reagents, which are ordinarily kept apart, although in proximity to each other, but can be suddenly brought into contact for the generation of gas when it is desired to apply the extinguisher to a fire.

Figure 1 shows in side elevation a portion of an apparatus sufficient to illustrate the manner of carrying out my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the distributing-pipes. Fig. 3 is a detail view, on an enlarged scale, of a portion of the tank and the device connected therewith. Figs. 4 and 5 are a plan and side elevation, on an enlarged scale, of the valve-operating mechanism.

In the drawings, A represents a tank or receptacle for holding materials which are adapted to generate a gas of one or another of the sorts used in extinguishing fires. So far as concerns the details of its structure, its position in relation to the room or building in which it is to be used, and its connection with the distributing apparatus, it may be of any of the now known forms or of any preferred style. It is capable of withstanding a high pressure, and its parts are so constructed and arranged that it shall be gastight after it is closed. For ordinary purposes it is of a capacity such that it can hold about sixty gallons of water, but of course can be made larger or smaller to meet the various conditions to which it is to be subjected. It is shown as being made with a body part a, a bottom a, and a top 0 tightly secured to the body. It is supported in any suitable position in the room B or the building in which it is to be used, being preferably placed where, although accessible for inspection, it is not liable to be tampered with or accidentally put into action. Within this tank or receptacle there is placed a body of water in which is dissolved a proper amount of one of the chemical reagents that is relied upon, as, for instance, bicarbonate of soda. The upper part of the interior chamber is provided with a bracket or support 0, adapted to hold one or more vessels containing the other chemical reagent, as, for instance, sulfuric acid, the vessel for this purpose being indicated by D. It is preferably formed of glass strong enough to hold its contents safely under ordinary circumstances, but sufficiently fragile to be broken by the devices to be described upon the breaking out of a fire. Preferably the bottle is of an elongated form and rests on the saddle or support 0 in the manner shown in Fig. 3.

E is a rod passing up through the cover a of the tank and situated in the lines of the bottle D. Preferably it is expanded at its lower end with a concave foot-piece E, encircling more or less of the bottle, and insuring that it shall be broken at the desired moment. The rod is fitted by stuffing or otherwise tightly to the cover, so that the latter shall be gas-tight.

F is a weight of sufficient size to accomplish its purpose. It is normally held in an elevated position directly above the upper end of bar E and is adapted to drop upon and impart a powerful blow to the latter. It may be provided with guides, as at G, to insure its being kept in the desired path, these guides being also adapted to serve as supports for other parts to be described.

H is a cord or link fastened to and extending upward from the weight D and having at its upper end an eye f, adapted to take over a pin 2', secured to a shaft I. The shaft I is normally held stationary and the weight suspended by alocking mechanism, (indicated as a whole by J.) It comprises a gear j, mounted upon the shaft I at one side of the frame G, and this gear meshes with a gear *6, secured on a shaft on which is also mounted a pinion 1?.

j is a wheel on a shaft j, meshing with the gear i and 7' is a lock bar or rod connected at one end to the outer face of wheelj or to a disk attached to such wheel and which normally tends to hold the above-described train of gears stationary and the weight Fin an elevated position.

L is an electromagnet having an armature Z, adapted to be connected with the lock bar or rod 3' As shown, the armature is carried by one end of a pivoted arm or bar Z, in which is also formed a seat or socket Z adapted to receive the free lower end of the said lockbar 7' Vhen the magnet L is energized and the armature Z drawn up, the bar Z is disengaged from the bar j and the train of gears thus being released the weight F falls upon the rod E.

I am aware that prior to my invention it has been proposed to support above a rod adapted to break a vessel containing one of the reagents for producing a fire-extinguishing compound a weight and to maintain such weight in an elevated position by a lock designed to be released by the energizing of an electromagnet, and I do not make claim, broadly, for such an arrangement. In all of such earlier constructions which have come to my notice, however, the lock engaged directly wit-l1 the weight, and therefore the size of the latter was necessarily limited. In fact, that has been one of the great objections to this class of devicesnamely, that in order to use a lock, movement of which could be effected by an electromagnet of suitable size and cost of manufacture, the weight had to be of such size as to fail to insure breaking of the vessel when released. It is desirable that the vessel should be shattered to such an extent as to instantly allow its contents to escape, and therefore the largest weight possible should be used.

By my construction the lock, which is connected with the armature of the electromagnet, is not connected directly to the weight, but a train of reducing-gearing is interposed between them. By this means I am enabled to use a much larger weight than has been heretofore possible without increasing the size of the magnet. It will be seen that the strain put upon the lock connected with the armature in my construction is no greater than that which has been experienced by these parts when weights comparatively small have been used and that I am enabled to employ a weight of such proportions as to insure the instant shattering of the vessel H.

O is a pipe or duct extending from the tank along and over that portion of the room or building which it is intended to protect from fire, it communicating at a suitable point with the interior of the tank and beingadapted to conduct therefrom the gas which is generated from the reagents and the water to the points where the delivery devices are arranged. As shown, this main pipe 0 is car ried along the ceiling or roof of the room to be supplied, and at intervals is connected with branches I, each capable of supplying a section of the room.

At Q there is a valve interposed between the main 0 and each branch. The valve proper may be of any preferred construction. At present I employ a more or less common form of cone-valve having a single through-port and adapted to let on or cut off the passage of water on being turned a quarter around.

The valve is operated as follows: R is a spring connected to the valve-stem and adapted to rotate it, the stem being projected, as at q, and formed so as to receive and be turned by a key or Wrench. R is a toothed wheel, also secured to the stem and rotating therewith. R is a toothed wheel one-half the diameter of that at R, and therefore making one half-revolution at each quarter of a revolution of the wheel R. It is a plate which is suitably mounted, as upon the elbow or coupling which joins the pipes 1 to the main 0. The shaft 0' of the wheel R projects upward through the plate and carries a radial] yprojecting stop arm r. S is a stop bar adapted to vibrate and having two lugs s s. IVhen it is in its normal position, the lug 3 lies in the path of the stop-arm r and prevents the shaft 7" from rotating, and hence the wheels R and R are locked and the valve is held closed. S is an electromagnet having its armature so arranged as to either directly or indirectly move the stop-bar S. As shown, the stop-bar itself constitutes the armature, or a part of it is constructed to act as such. Then the magnet is energized by current through the circuit S it moves the stop-bar S in such a way as to move the stop-lug s away from the arm 4" and at the same time to move the stop-lug 3 into the path of the arm 0", the last said stop-lug .5" being diametrically opposite (relatively to the axis of the shaft r) to the lug 8. Consequently the arm 9 and the wheel R make one half of a revolution and then are stopped by the lug .3. hen the parts are in this position, the valve is opened and the passage of water through its port is permitted. When the magnetloses its energy, a spring S returns the armature and the stop-lugs s s to their normal positions, and thereupon the arm 1" moves through another half-revolution till itagain impinges upon the lug 3, this permitting the spring to cause a quarter of a revolution of the valvestem, which cuts oif the water-passage.

The magnets S and L are simultaneously energized by a battery L, the circuit m S being closed and opened by a thermostat, (indicated as a whole by T.) It comprises a baseplate 75, a movable contact t, a stationary contact t and an expansible bar i The bar i is adjustably secured by a slotted plate and screw at t and at its upper end is connected by an arm i with the movable contact If. The latter is made in the form of a bar having a pivot 15 at points between its ends, its shorter upper end being slotted at t to permit a loose engagement with the expansible bar. The adjustable contact 29 is secured to a slotted plate 15 When the bar 15 is heated, it is bent, being composite, that is, formed oftwo metals of different expansibility, and as it bends it moves the contact-bar 15 toward and finally into contact with that at 23 The contacts are respectively connected with the sides M and S of the electric circuit, and when they come together the circuit is closed and the magnets L and S are energized.

The mode of operation of the devices above described will be readily understood. Each valve-operating mechanism is provided with a thermostat, and if at any time the bar t is heated by a flame or otherwise raised to a high temperature it closes the contacts t and 13 as aforesaid, and thereupon the batterycircuit is closed through the valve-magnet of that thermostat and also through the magnet L, adjacent to the tank A. The latter magnet thereupon instantly releases the lock-bar 7 and at the same time the magnet S releases the stopslug s from the arm 1". As soonas the wheel j is released the shaft I is free to turn under the draft of the weight. When its pin 2' is in a vertical position, the eye f slips therefrom and the Weight drops with force upon the rod' E, and as the latter rests upon the glass vessel D it instantly breaks it and allows its acid contents to mingle with the water and the reagents therein. Immediately a large volume of gas (carbonic acid gas when the above-described reagents are employed) is generated, which rapidly raises the pressure within the tank, and this quickly reaches such a point that the water and the gas therewith are forced out with power through the main 0. While these matters are occurring the valve at Q is opened by the magnet adjacent to the thermostat which is in action and is held open by the stop-pin s. The. opening of this valve permits the water and gas to escape under their high pressure through the spray-orifices at J and the escaping bodies act to extinguish adjacent flames and cool the neighboring bodies.

If the area of flame or high heat should extend from a point adjacent to one of the branch pipes P to points adjacent to another, the thermostats will successively open their valves to permit the escape of the extinguishing materials.

After the fire has been extinguished and the temperature has been lowered sufficiently to permit the thermostat bar or bars 25 to move in the opposite directions their circuit branches will be again opened and their magnets will lose their energy. Thereupon the springs S return their armatures to normal position and withdraw the stop-lugs 8'. Then the valves are permitted to turn a quarter way around and the streams of extinguishing material are cut off.

While I have herein shown and described a break-rod as the device for bringing the chemical reagents into contact, it will be understood that use may be made of any mechanism adapted to break the vessel D and to be actuated bythe mechanism described herein.

What I claim is 1. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a tank or receptacle for a chemical reagent, a supplemental receptacle, for another reagent, supported within the tank, and a breaking-rod extending through the tank and lying in the planes of the supplemental receptacle, of a weight, means for normally holding the weight above the breaking-rod, a wheel geared to said supporting means and having a stop-arm secured thereto, a lock normally extending into the path of said arm to hold the same and the weightsupporting devices stationary, an electric magnet having its armature connected with said lock to move the same from the path of said arm, and means for closing an electric circuit through said magnet, substantially as set'forth.

2. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a tank, for holding a chemical reagent, a supplemental receptacle, for another reagent, supported within the tank, and a breaking-rod extending through the tank in line with the supplemental receptacle therein, of a weight, means for holding the weight above the breaking-rod, a gear-wheel connected with said weight-supporting means,

a pinion meshing with said gear, another gear mounted at the axis of and rotating with the pinion, a gear meshing with the last said wheel and having a rod projecting from one face thereof, a lock-arm normally extending into the path of said rod to hold the same stationary, an electric magnet having its armature connected with the said lock, and means for closing an electric circuit through said magnet, whereby the lock will be moved out of the path of said stop-rod and the weightsupporting devices released, substantially as set forth.

3. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus,-the combination with a tank adapted to contain a chemical reagent, a supplemental receptacle supported within the tank, and adapted to contain another reagent, a breaking-rod extending through the tank in line with the supplemental receptacle therein, of a weight, a shaft, a cord or cable connected to the weight and adapted to be wound upon the shaft, a gear-wheel on said shaft, a second gear-wheel mounted on an axis parallel to but at one side of the shaft, an arm connected to said wheel, a lock normally engaging with said arm, a train of reducing-gearing connecting the gear on the shaft with the last said gear, an electric magnet having its armature connected with the lock, and means for closing an electric circuit through said magnet, whereby the lock will be moved out of engagement with the said stop-arm and the weight released, substantially as set forth.

4. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the

combination with a tank containing a chem ical reagent, a receptacle for another reagent mounted Within the tank, means adapted to break said receptacle and extending beyond the top of the tank, a weight fitted to vertical guides on the tank above such breaking devices, a shaft journaled in said guides above and connected to the Weight, a lock for n ormally preventing rotation of said shaft and maintaining the Weight in an elevated position, an elcctromagnet for releasing the lock, and a thermostat adapted to close an electric circuit through the magnet, substantially as set forth.

5. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a tank containing a chemical reagent, a receptacle mounted Within the tank and containing another reagent, a rod extending through the top of the tank in the plane of said receptacle, a Weight, a shaft journaled in bearings on the tank, a cord or cable connecting the shaft and weight, a lock carried by one arm of a lever, pivoted on the tank, for normally holding the shaft against rotation and maintaining the weight out of contact with the rod, an electromagnet having its armature connected with the other arm of the lever, and a thermostat for closing an electric circuit through the magnet, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

6. In a fire-extinguishing apparatus, the combination with a tank containing a chemical reagent, a second receptacle for a second reagent, parallel standards mounted on. the tank, a shaft journaled in said standards, a Weight fitted to guides on the standards and connected with the shaft, devices adapted to be actuated by the Weight for bringing the reagents into contact, a train of gears connected with the shaft, a lever fulcrumed on the tank and having near one end a seat or socket, a lock-rod connected to the train of gears and adapted to fit in said socket, an electromagnet having its armature connected to the lever on the opposite side of the fulcrum from the socket, and a thermostat adapted to close an electric circuit through such magnet, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HOSEA F. MAXIM. Witnesses:

ALEX. S. STEUART, ARTHUR L. BRYANT. 

